TUNIS, Tunisia, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) (http://www.afdb.org) approved on Wednesday, December 11 a US $20 million Trade Finance Line of Credit for the Company for Habitat and Housing in Africa/Shelter Afrique (SHAF) to boost the availability of Trade Finance (TF) instruments to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in real estate and construction related activities in Africa. Thereby, this facility will contribute to addressing the critical shortage of building materials while creating jobs and income in the region.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/african-development-bank-2.png Economic growth, exponential urbanization and a growing middle…
Author: apofeed
TUNIS, Tunisia, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (http://www.afdb.org) approved on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 in Tunis, two grants and a loan amounting to US $105.26 million (UA 70.14 million*) to finance the Lovua-Tshikapa section of the Batshamba-Tshikapa road project in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Logo: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/african-development-bank-2.png The project aims at opening up the country’s Bandundu and West Kasaï Provinces with a view to improving the service level of the transport logistics chain on the Kinshasa-Tshikapa road as well as the living conditions of people in these areas.It involves…
GENEVA, Switzerland, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — A UN report released Wednesday reveals that while Congolese authorities have taken some measures to ensure accountability for human rights violations committed during the electoral period in 2011, much remains to be done. The report calls for measures to be taken to ensure that upcoming elections will take place in a peaceful climate, in an environment conducive to the respect for human rights. The forward-looking report by the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO)* in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) examines human rights violations documented by the UN from…
LONDON, United-Kingdom, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FCO Minister visits Kenya for its 50th anniversary of Independence.FCO Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, arrives in Nairobi later today for his second visit to Kenya. His visit will focus on Kenya’s 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations, at which he will represent the United Kingdom. During the visit Mr Simmonds will attend the Nairobi Governor’s Ball, the 50th anniversary celebrations at the Safaricom Stadium Kasarani, and a luncheon at Statehouse.Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Simmonds said:“I am delighted to be returning to Kenya to represent the British Government, and very…
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATESUBJECT: Delegation of Authority Under Section 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as AmendedBy the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, to direct the drawdown of up to $60 million in defense articles from the stocks of the Department of Defense (DOD)…
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to the Republic of Kenya to attend the 50th Anniversary of the Republic of Kenya on December 12, 2013.The Honorable Robert F. Godec, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Kenya, will lead the delegation.Member of the Presidential Delegation:The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
NEW YORK, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports a Malian website based in Paris has been threatened by Mali’s government after posting an Associated Press (AP) story today implicating Malian soldiers in extrajudicial killings. The editor of the news portal Maliactu, Sega Diarrah, told AP he received two separate phone calls and an email from Mali’s defense and communications ministries saying that they would block his website in Mali if the AP story was not withdrawn.”I was forced to take down the article,” Diarrah told AP in an interview today.…
WASHINGTON, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press StatementJohn KerrySecretary of StateWashington, DCDecember 10, 2013On behalf of the American people, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Burkina Faso on the 53rd anniversary of your independence on December 11.The United States and Burkina Faso share a commitment to promoting democracy, economic development, and regional stability. We are especially proud of our work together to boost agricultural productivity, improve girls’ access to education, strengthen maternal and child health services, and increase food security.I wish all Burkinabe a safe and festive 53rd anniversary celebration. We look forward…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, December 11, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Regional Task Force (RTF) of the African Union-led Regional Cooperation Initiative for the Elimination of the Lord’s Resistance Army (RCI-LRA) continues to register progress in the fight against the LRA, notably in the Central African Republic (CAR). On 6 December 2013, nineteen (19) members of the LRA belonging to the group commanded by “Lt. Col.” Obur Nyeko, alias Okuti, defected and reported to a detachment of the Ugandan contingent of the RTF at Zemio, CAR. The defectors surrendered with weapons and ammunitions. This development is an illustration of the…
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, December 10, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — All media are invited to the press stake-out following the closing of the All Inclusive Peace and Security in Darfur Technical Workshop that will take place on Thursday, 11 December 2013, at 16:00 hours, at Radisson Blu Hotel, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The African Union-United Nations Joint Chief Mediator for Darfur, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, will brief the media on the conclusions of the forum. The workshop, co-organized by the AU-UN Joint Mediation Support Team and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), has been attended by two Darfur non-signatory movements, the…